The war between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union was the most titanic struggle between two nations in history, and in spring 1942 the conflict was in a crucial phase. The German Army, after its spectacular successes of the preceding summer, had been caught by surprise during the winter by both Russian weather and Soviet reserves, and had been pushed back with heavy losses.

Prelude. --Planning. Overview : the strategic debate -- Overview : the Soviet assessment -- Area of operations. Strategic aspects -- Operational and tactical aspects -- Opposing forces. Soviet order of battle -- Soviet force structure -- The Southwestern direction leaders -- The Southwestern direction forces -- German order of battle -- German force structure -- Correlation of forces -- The course of combat operations. First stage : Southwestern Front offensive -- Second stage : Southwestern and Southern Front defensive battles in the Barvenkovo Salient -- Costs and consequences. The price of combat -- The consequences -- Brief results and conclusions.